Soft Luxe Travels Vigan: The Journey Home Part 2 - More Roadside Snapshots, Pasalubong, McDonald's, and Taking the Long Route Home

 

This was the fish-shaped restaurant that I missed during our trip going there. For the trip back, I really watched out for this so that I could take a photo! 😁

The second half of our journey home was just as memorable as the trip itself—full of unexpected stops, little joys, and even a few challenges that turned into stories worth telling.

Roadside Snapshots

There’s a special charm in capturing life along the road. Rolling landscapes, quiet towns, and quick glimpses of daily life framed our windows as we drove by. Each snapshot was a gentle reminder that beauty often lies in the in-between moments of travel.

In part 1, I left you with photos of the sea. Today, let me show you beautiful greenery. 

Aside from the fish restaurant, look at the other quirky shops in this gas station! 

We pulled over so that our driver and I can take photos of this beautiful welcome arch, which we were not able to take decent photos of on the way there because it was raining. 

A Familiar Stop: McDonald’s

It was noon and Kuya Fil (our driver) had to eat. Somewhere along the long route, comfort came in the form of something familiar: McDonald's. When we saw the golden arches, we all looked at my husband and teased him because it's his favorite. 

Stopping for fries and their signature fried chicken during a road trip feels grounding - a little taste of home amidst the adventure.

Beautiful Buildings

Here's another one of those commercial centers that are a far cry from Manila's

I didn't know that Bauang (bawang is garlic in Filipino) is the beach capital and fruit basket of the north. Every day you learn new things. 

Pasalubong Finds

Kuya Fil and I were itching to buy some Ilocos garlic. We didn't think about it when we went to the palengke! Good thing there are a lot of pasalubong stops on the road. 

This is MQY Pasalubong in Santiago, Bauang:

I got a kilo of Ilocos garlic, calkag, and danggit from this stall

This is Verceles Cabrera Dried Fish Store, the store beside MQY.

We got tupig from this stall. We bought 6 dozens.  They were pretty generous and gave us 5 additional tupig for free! 

Tupig means flattened. It is a sweet delicacy made from ground slightly-fermented soaked glutinous rice. It is mixed with coconut milk or gata, as we call it in Tagalog, muscovado sugar, and buco strips (young coconut). I'm not sure though if these stalls make them with muscovado as muscovado is expensive. They are probably using brown sugar. Tupig is wrapped in banana leaves and cooked directly on that grill that you saw above and turned frequently. 

I'm not a huge fan of tupig. My son tasted it and he said it was alright. It's really good, but I just don't have a big sweet tooth. And I don't like eating a lot during a long drive.

Taking the Long Route Home

Heavy rains and flooding rerouted us, extending the journey far longer than we had anticipated. But in those extra hours, we found new roads, fresh perspectives, and the kind of conversations that only happen when you’re tucked inside a car with nowhere else to be.

If I remember correctly, I think this pasalubong stop was high up on a mountain rode that's why I took a photo. Couldn't believe there was a stall up there! 

And apparently, a restaurant! 

Finally,  a sign that we're on the right track!

Waze made us take the back roads. How far back? Just check out what crossed the road!

Here I go again, taking pictures of nice buildings. This is the Capas Municipal Hall. 

Capas is the final site of the Bataan Death March. The deadly march that my grandfather survived, so this place makes me melancholic. 

Though the drive was long, it reminded us that sometimes the detours make the best parts of the story.

Final Stretch

We finally reached the major road again. My mom, sis, and Kuya Fil got some drive through food. Burger King. I'm allergic to it, so I said that we'll try on the next stop. We found KFC, but they didn't have a drive-through, so I had to go down. There was only one counter open and the line was almost at the door! So, I passed. I went to Kenny Rogers. I was in line for a few minutes when I heard a man asked how long for the chicken. The staff said that they're just starting to roast and that it will take 30 minutes. I asked the manager how long the sandwiches will take. He said a very long time! I asked why. He said because it's a holiday.  We weren't parked and Kuya Fil was just driving around.  (The parking was packed!) Kenny Rogers wasn't an option either. I went out thinking, exactly! Everyone knows it's a long holiday! Why didn't you plan for this? All the restaurants said the same exact thing! It really boggles me how restaurants and holiday places don't make plans for the deluge of customers that they regularly get during holidays! Why??

I then went to Cafe France. There were only a few customers. I asked the cashier how long the sandwiches would take. She said about 15-20 minutes, maybe even longer as they're swamped. I had no choice at this point, so I ordered and told her I'm going to the restroom first. I went back to the car to get my tissues and found that they were already parked! That eases the pressure on me! After my bathroom break, I went back and the cashier said that the sandwiches are ready and they only had to make the mango smoothie. Alrighty! 

I got us a club sandwich, roast beef sandwich, and a chicken sandwich. I forgot what exactly the chicken was. My husband got the club, and my son and I shared the remaining sandwiches. We ate half of each. My son and I love sharing our food. I wasn't able to take a photo anymore as the car was dark and cramped and we started driving again as we started eating. 

We got home at 11 pm, exhausted but grateful for the experience. I said a short prayer of thanks for our safe trip and for the rest of my family as they made their way home. They dropped us home first. And another prayer for Kuya Fil as he's the one who's going home last. He's been driving the whole day and I know he's tired, but he never showed it. 

This is the end of our Vigan Journey. I hope you enjoyed sharing in our adventure, excitement, and the ups and downs of our soft luxe travel to Vigan.